The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
In the $24 billion mobile-gaming industry, a majority of in-application (in-app) revenue is generated from purchases of virtual currencies and goods; mobile players spend tens of billions of dollars each year for the challenge to accumulate the most virtual items, which hold zero value outside of the games that they play, and to add their names at the top of the leader boards. At best, this tendency is a testament to “game stickiness”, which arises from any factor that encourages a player to stay longer and to return. However, to remain relevant in the gaming industry, third-party developers must not only promote the mirage of value associated with virtual incentives, they must also continuously update their games as well as try to retain users while monetizing their games at the same time. In view of the foregoing, it is clear that this approach is not perfect and leaves room for more optimal approaches.
The following is an example of a specific aspect in the prior art that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon. One such aspect of the prior art is believed to show a methods and systems for interfacing with a third-party application. Although it appears that the systems and methods disclosed are directed primarily to gaming machines and systems, some of the apparatuses, systems and methods disclosed might be adaptable for use in other types of devices, systems or environments, as applicable, such that their use is not restricted exclusively to gaming machines and contexts. At least one display device may be a mobile display device, such as a PDA or tablet PC that enables play of at least a portion of the primary or secondary game at a location remote from the gaming machine. For example, it is believed that the remote host or another host may provide a progressive game with a progressive jackpot to a group of gaming machines and that the gaming machine to which the remote host is sending content may be operable to play the progressive game but may not be currently participating in the progressive game at a particular time and thus not contributing to the jackpot, which in this example is one indicator of the group state of the gaming machine in the group. It is believed that when the progressive jackpot reaches a certain level or a game participant/player completes a certain task or a user creates qualifying notification settings, the remote host may send information to the gaming machine to indicate that the jackpot has reached a certain threshold to entice a player on the gaming machine to join the progressive game. Thus, it appears that the remote host may dynamically adjust content sent to the gaming machine based upon a group state for a group of gaming machines that the gaming machine is currently not affecting. Additionally, in other embodiments, it is believed that the request sent by third-party device may include a request to obtain a SDK from server-based system. It appears that in these embodiments, the SDK is used by third-party user to develop the content approval application or the graphical element creation application. Moreover, it is believed that in other embodiments, the SDK is used by third-party user to develop content that is displayed on gaming display device where the SDK includes the graphical element creation application.
By way of educational background, another aspect of the prior art generally useful to be aware of is that of what appears to be a gaming reality system and a mobile device that features the application of providing the player with many opportunities to win awards, such as cash or prizes to maintain a player's interest in a gaming machine. The application also appears to teach of using progressive jackpots for more experienced players, which may cause strategy to vary depending upon the current progressive amount. The application appears to make calls to the augmented reality technology SDK to determine if a tag is present in the current live camera image, and if so, the SDK returns the position of the tag relative to the user in 3D space. Additionally, the SDK appears compatible with Unity plugin, an Android or Apple smartphone/tablet with a rear-facing camera and ARM processor, and a video gaming machine with LCD or other flat screen displays.
As a point of educational reference, such approaches may not provide a progressive jackpot rewards system where gamers are allow to make as many attempts as they wish (no cap) at attaining the high score of a contest given that they have sufficient funds in their account and the contest time has not expired. Additionally, such approaches may not provide a dynamic rewards structure that may be manipulated by, for example, a web-based dashboard to perform varies functions such as create contests, implement different payout structures, adjust contest parameters, and send content, messages, and notifications to players. Furthermore, such approaches may not provide a social element that allows players to share contests and statuses, such as jackpot amounts, with others.
In view of the foregoing, it is clear that these traditional techniques are not perfect and leave room for more optimal approaches.
Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.